I thought I finally understood SAFC – I was wrong!
What a strange afternoon at Ashton Gate. From half time conversations about how this will be remembered as one of Sunderland’s lowest ever moments, to pure elation in the 92nd minute and being able to say you were there to witness Bristanbul.
I thought I finally understood this football club, for this season at least. It kept feeling like we had hit rock bottom but then something worse happens, then we would pull off a result, inspire hope, before losing again and repeating the cycle.
So being 3-0 down at half time to Bristol City meant I knew where I stood. Of course I was angry at what I was witnessing but there was the comforting familiarity of continued failure.
Then the second half happened and I remembered that it’s pointless trying to guess what Sunderland AFC will do next.
Never mind the three goals we scored, Lee Cattermole got two assists for gods sake! Who saw that one coming?
It must also be noted that the scenes in the away end were very much deserving of being labelled as “absolute scenes.” Bodies flying everywhere in disbelief/relief that one of our longest trips of the season, was rewarded with a comeback that will live long in the memory.
It was great and after all the terrible games we’ve been subjected to this season, us fans deserve a moment like that.
However after the the limbs had stopped flailing and we were making our way back up the M5, I still had a nagging feeling of “why were we even in that position in the first place?” If we could have just allowed ourselves to settle in to the game, rather than not defend a basic set piece after four minutes, we could have won that game.
Look at how worried and disorganised the Bristol City defence were when the likes of Joel Asoro and Kazenga LuaLua were running at them. Had we just kept our own organisation we may have been talking about a huge three points instead of a unpredictable fightback.
Away to Birmingham City, it was a similar story. We played some decent attacking stuff in the second half at St Andrew’s but we had to concede three goals before we reached that point.
I suppose it mirrors our recent relegation escapes, in that our players only start fighting when it looks like all is lost. Imagine if we could start fighting from the beginning though?
At this stage of the season, we need to hope that the players have had their confidence renewed. The result at Ashton Gate will hopefully prove to them that they are capable of getting a result when things aren’t going their way.
If Chris Coleman can use this comeback as a catalyst, it might just turn the season around.
The team now has some solid evidence that they’re capable of turning a game around.
It’s going to be brutal going into these last few games but if the players are as spirited as that in the remaining games, it could break our bad habits.
The Wise Men Say podcast is available from every Monday, with SAFC debate from a variety of guests and post-match reaction from Chris Coleman. You can stream it direct from wisemensay.co.uk or subscribe to it on iTunes